Head of Campus 

Participatory democracy

“Children and young adults at Preshil have always been encouraged to assume ownership and responsibility for much of what takes place on a daily basis in the life of the School.”

(Preshil Courage document, 2010)

Participatory democracy has underpinned the Preshil philosophy since its inception. From the earliest years, students have been encouraged to voice their opinions and views to help shape the learning environment that best suits their needs.

This has never been more evident than the recent student initiated survey which interrogated the effectiveness of remote learning delivery in the senior school. In response to a discussion during Forum, one student decided to garner the opinions of the entire senior cohort to see if a new remote learning model would yield greater student engagement and improve mental health. Approximately one-third of the students participated and, together, they identified problems, made suggestions and found solutions. Students presented their findings and suggested solutions to a Year Level Coordinators meeting who in turn took them to Staff meetings, and a new remote learning delivery, known as the remote reboot, was formulated.

While they have always been integral to Preshil's educational philosophy, these concepts that drive this kind of participatory democracy in the Preshil students are fostered in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) through both the Learner Profile and the Approaches To Learning (ATL). The Learner Profile, a set of ten desirable characteristics and attributes, and the ATL, a set of fundamental learning skills, combine to bring a powerful learning environment which promotes the development of social, emotional, communication, research, thinking and self-management skills.

Embedded in the curriculum, these skills stimulate development in critical and creative thinking, communication, organisation of self and others, resilience, emotional management, self-motivation, perseverance, collaboration, reflection, information and media literacy and transfer of skills; core skills developed explicitly through targeted tasks within the classroom and, when linked to the Learner Profile, bring authenticity to the development of character. Through the MYP years, students gain a deep understanding of the importance of fostering these approaches to learning in order to become life-long learners and compassionate global citizens. 

This development of student agency and self-reflection through the MYP programme culminates in the Personal Project. These projects are individually tailored pursuits drawn from the interests and passions of each student and lead to the design and creation of products and reports that foster both the ATL skills and the Learner Profile. Our Year 10 cohort is in the process of completing these projects and creating a digital exhibition of the work which will be available for viewing on the School website. This important event brings together years of personal growth and development and establishes the strong foundations required to pursue the Diploma programme (DP). 

Following information sessions, counselling advice and much consideration, Year 10 students are building excitement about this new chapter in their education by choosing their Diploma subjects. They will be further supported with their choices through the ‘Very Big Tests’ and DP Early Commencement programme in Term 4. These important opportunities will help students to gain a greater understanding of their own strengths and interests and will support them to make the best choices.

The Year 10 cohort is looking forward to shifting gear and investing even more responsibility in their learning. During this time of lockdown it is wonderful to have something exciting to look forward to. 

Karoline Kuti

Head of Campus

karoline.kuti@preshil.vic.edu.au